syronth Reviews

Deutschland 83 (2015)

Impressive, amazing TV series

[8/10 · 1 February 2016]

It is exaggerated, it is pretty dramatic. But thats what we usually expect today. On the other hand it were pretty dramatic times, the cold war was no fun at all even if we might think so today. This is what happens if you do not communicate.

For me personally it's one of the best German TV shows of the last decades - speaking as a German. Our movies and TV shows are usually totally crap (especially today I would say). American readers might think that's a sad fact that is also true for American productions, but believe me, it's not the same. But that's a different topic.

The series has its weaknesses, sometimes its pretty much a cliché but don't forget it's a comprehension of these times, it's not a documentary, it's a drama series. And there were in fact a lot of stubborn and blind people in high-rank positions, who even thought they were „smarter" than anyone else.

I've been born in West Germany. 1983 I was just 7/8 years old and I do remember that my father (a teacher) was somehow upset at this time. I didn't understand the whole stuff, the TV was sometimes full of it, but this made me grow up with the idea that the whole world is pretty close to destroy itself in an instant. Strange times - I hadn't really a clue what was happening and was watching and doing a lot of different stuff. Geez, I was a kid, kids are always optimistic although I did have one or another nightmare of „some big war". The American culture had a deep and massive influence on Western Germany at this time, I do remember this quite well and it's not so obvious in this show but it's still noticeable. Like the GDR was under massive influence of the soviet union. Till today it's burned into my brain, indelibly. (Keep this is mind if you're an American and talk to Germans today - this whole cold war thing has pretty much messed up everything in the aftermath - till today.)

But I'm loosing my point. For me the series captures the feeling in Germany at this time pretty well, the characters are spot on, the actors do an awesome job, they really feel „80s style", only the budget limit obviously stopped it from being better overall. But for this it's pretty impressive and for German standards pretty brave. It could have a bit more teeth but not to much since it's fairly trying to find a balance without punching into faces, it gives both sides a fair share of the story. We are smarter today - aren't we?

Kudos to the producers, the writer, the director and the actors. Great job, it's a remarkable show I really wish it would go on and become even better. It were pretty difficult times but I believe Germany today is in an even more delicate situation and this story is not over yet. Unfortunately.

Terminus (2015)

To the point

[9/10 · 28 January 2016]

This is not a movie for those who expect a typical Hollywood sci-fi flick. Definitely not.

The movie shows an oppressing picture of an Orwellian, dystopic America - not in the far future but right now in the present. It is reducing itself to the point and is pretty straight-forward and sincere about it. It does know exactly that it can only cite because a lot of those scenes are very well known already, which makes it even more intense in my opinion. Also the dialogs are reduced to the essential, no smart tricks, no lengthiness. To the point.

The movie doesn't try to tell you something new, it recaps and reminds. And it still holds on a tiny friction of whats left of hope. Because hope dies last. From my European view this makes it a very American movie (what I like) - although its an Australian movie which was surprising for me. But it has a clear, universal message, that is pretty much addressed at me and my own country as well. A message that has been told before, right, but is nevertheless worth telling again and again.

I can see why this movie might look like one big cliché. But I object. Its a great movie with great pictures and great actors. It doesn't pretend to be something else than a straight-forward punch in your face.

American Muscle (2014)

Remarkable

[8/10 · 19 January 2016]

I have to agree with Maurice Grant's review.

The screenwriter knew exactly what he was writing and the director did a great job capturing the scenes, the faces - and well, other stuff. I truly got what I was looking for this evening while actually not expecting it. The movie is well cut too with perfect length, technically quite well done without pretending to be some kind of pseudo-70s movie. It's filmed in HD, it's clear, the colors are precise and great. I guess the director likes the work of his colleague from the TV show "Breaking Bad", while carrying it a bit farer in this movie.

I can't help myself but it felt like the whole crew had fun doing this movie, while they still kept bloody serious and honest about the genre. The actors might hate me for saying this but I've a heart for them. They did pretty well too, showing a honest performance and were playing well along.

There are bad bad movies, there are really terrible bad movies - and there are good "bad" movies. This one belongs to the last. Just hit the nail for my taste.

The Martian (2015)

A movie about some astro guy cracking jokes

[3/10 · 16 October 2015]

I've read the book and it's indeed not about a poor, lonely soul lost on Mars, who becomes a philosopher about death and life and is fighting depressions all the time, only getting some kind of inner relief at the end. It is not like „Cast Away" with Tom Hanks nor anything like „Interstellar" which has a whole different story.

It's about high tech and science, it's about a tough astronaut whose only goal is to solve the next problem, who is absolutely focusing on solutions to survive as long as he can. There are moments where he is hapless and desperate but he's got a kind of stubbornness, a special kind of will to survive that drives him through this misery. He jokes, he thinks of trivial stuff that helps him keeping his mind intact. You could say he actually denies in some way that he's the only guy on an entire planet millions of miles away from home. But the situation forces him to fight against physics and technology all the time, he just has got no time to think about to much.

What you get as the reader then is a spectacular story of how he manages it – against all odds. With his sheer will, his unique personality, the training and knowledge and with the help of smart, brave and very noble people. This makes this story indeed look very positive in the outcome, it describes an almost impossible effort and shows – so do I think personally – the best of us as human beings. Mark Watney survives – with luck, of course, but mainly because neither he ever gave up nor the people on earth. The climax in this plot was the most thrilling thing I've read for years. I had to shed a tear, it just blew my mind. At the end everything went to an extreme fight „humans versus the universe" which will be won by incredible smartness, braveness and by big pumping hearts in the breasts of the protagonists. In the aftermath I think it's even more than „just another survival story", it's about how far we went and how clever we've become in the great struggle of life, especially if you don't forget how much obstacles we are still throwing in our own way. It's a very utopian view, yes, but one who touches your heart if you have one.

The movie captured only a tiny fraction of this, unfortunately. It's a funny movie about some astro guy cracking jokes on a funky planet not far away, uhm, and some of his buddies, who help him out. Of course he survives, what else. It's Matt Damon, our hero. No explanations needed, it's all good. Thank you for watching.

The Teasers (1975)

Glorious Gloria

[5/10 · 25 August 2015]

This is one of those movies that are clearly first class trash in a very bad and a very "good" way. It was made in the same year I was born, and unfortunately left an impact crater on my mind about thirteen +/- years later. Funny thing is, I never knew how deep this crater was until I saw it again forty years later with a few friends and a lot of beer.

It is telling that I did NOT remember how bad the plot, the comedy part, the music and the acting was (with the exception of Gloria Guida who's just playing herself), but everything else. And it is some weird trash, I mean, an Italian sex comedy from the 70s – how much farer can you go? Watching this movie again was like watching something from another universe far, far away. It was so intense, so mind melting, it caused such a massive flashback, that I'm sitting here now an trying to write a review. For just this movie.

But give me a minute to think about it …

Everything makes a lot of sense if you assume that Loredana (a name I've never heard again btw) is a young, sexy and utterly sociopathic girl with no remorse and that the whole movie is following closely her point of view. Seriously. For sociopaths a lot of stuff we normal people do and say just looks pretty ridicules, just like a very bad comedy. She's manipulating the guys around her from the very beginning and obviously having a lot of fun doing it. She's playing the nice, naive girl but behind her beautiful blue eyes hides the dark coldness of a massive black hole: her ego. Which is making her think that she's the lonely center of this whole, bizarre thing called "life". Everything she says and does serves her only goal to get satisfied in one or another way - the world has to kneel before her greatness. At the end one of her "toys" (the "American" guy) gets almost killed in some race with another "toy" and when she gets it told her only response is: "Is he dead?", with a very slight, very disturbing tone in her voice. At least in the German subbed version.

And on top of this: I strongly believe the writer and especially the director knew pretty well what they were doing. No, I did not take drugs while watching it … well, besides alcohol and uhm, some vegetables. That doesn't count. :-)

If you never saw this "master piece", don't give it a try. No, don't even think about it. I'm damned to have watched it with the innocent eyes of a thirteen year old boy and it did harm my life after-wards. I should have listened to my parents, they were right: Do not touch the TV in the late night.

What glorious times. What a shame. What a shock.

Death Sentence (2007)

Frustrating, laughable and boring

[1/10 · 7 March 2008]

Plain stupid movie. Cliché family, cliché hero, ultra cliché evil guys. Put together with a stupid, impotent and self-righteous police department. "Revenge Movie" is no excuse. The only one I like in this movie is John Goodman. Because he is John Goodman. I can't help myself here I just like him even in such a mindless movie.

"Death Sentence" could have been "fun", at least a tiny bit, if it wouldn't take itself so bloody serious. This makes it quite laughable and frustrating. Come on, people - even straight forward movies can be done way better than this. Either with some irony to compensate those extremely overdone clichés or with some real good plot with an surprising or disturbing or strange ending. Entertain me, shock me, surprise me with something new. This scenario has been used ad nauseam.